An Arts-Filled, Tasty And Sometimes-Loopy Jaunt Through Life

Friendship is one of the things I appreciate a lot at this point in my life. Don’t ask me why, but for some reason I have more strong friendships now, in the way-past-my-prime years, than I did in my younger days, which were back when Neanderthals were disappearing fast from the face of the Earth. Ah, the Neanderthals. I was real, real sorry to see them go. They kept to themselves for the most part, sure, but they were good people. They had hearts of gold. I mean, they’d share their last hunk of fire-roasted, olive oil-infused wooly mammoth meat with you if you were hungry. Or give you pots of pigments, whatever colors you needed to finish your cave paintings. What the hell can you say? Times change.

Anyway, fast-forwarding through many millennia, I was at dinner recently with two of my great pals, Mike and Jeff, guys I used to work with. We hook up for meals, and sometimes for concerts and other stuff, on a regular basis. We get along swimmingly.

We were at a tavern in a tony section of Philadelphia, downing beers and pretty good food and yapping about the usual. Donald Trump, cute girls, movies, television, travel and sports, for instance. We detest the first subject on that list and plenty like all the others. The conversation turned to baseball. Aware that the local team had lost a ton of games recently, I genteelly said to Mike and Jeff: “What the f**k’s wrong with the Phillies this year? They’re f**king awful!”

“Right,” said Mike, “I was talking for an hour about exactly that with a group of guys this morning.”

But I couldn’t go into great detail about the Phillies’ situation, because I barely knew what was happening with the team. I had no idea which Phillies were stinking up the ball field and which, if any, were playing decently. That’s the way I am these days when it comes to sports. I keep up with certain athletics a bit in the newspaper, watch a few minutes of some games on the boob tube now and then . . . and that’s about it. I still like sports, sort of, but my interest is almost nothing compared to what it was in the 1960s and 70s and much of the 80s. In those years I ingested sports voraciously, in person, on television and by reading about them. And it wasn’t only the most popular games — baseball, football and basketball — that I followed. I was into tennis, golf, track and field, boxing, bowling . . . there wasn’t much I didn’t invest countless hours keeping up with.

But those days are long gone. Starting in the late 80s I began to experience déjà vu whenever tuning in to a game. “I’ve seen all of this before,” I would think to myself. “Like, eighty thousand times before.” Which was very, very true. And so my interest in sports started its what I imagine to be predestined decline. By the time I met Sandy, my wife, in 1990, I wasn’t all that big a sports fan anymore. That’s lucky for me because she’d have bid a quick adieu to anyone obsessed with sporting affairs. And I totally understand that viewpoint. These days I too don’t enjoy spending much time with anyone who is magnificently hung up on and consumed by sports. Or by any other subject, for that matter.

Such as music. Some people who have known me for years still think of me as a total music nut. Well, music is a big interest of mine, as the pages of this blog prove. But I’m one-fifth the music guy that once I was. Where I used to make a startling effort to follow what was going on in rock, jazz, blues, singer-songwriter, reggae, Americana and you-name-it genres of music, no longer do I behave that way. My effort these days is limited, not startling. And I’m much the happier for it. Now I have loads of time to spend on more important activities, such as trying to devise innovative afternoon-napping systems that will benefit mankind immeasurably by invigorating the human spirit as never before. Such work, I’m quite confident, will prove to be my most important and lasting legacy.

Still, music is wondrous. And, unlike sports, I couldn’t live without it. Or live without writing about it. And that’s what I’m about to do. You see, one morning last month I heard a song on WXPN, the University of Pennsylvania’s crackerjack radio station, that instantly blew me away. The song made my ears stand up, and then it carried me from the bathroom in which I was brushing my teeth to cosmic pastures. The date, I’m fairly sure, was April 24, two days after the band called The War On Drugs released Thinking Of A Place.

Now, I don’t know much about The War On Drugs, further proof of the enormous diminution of my once-obsession with music. I’ve never delved into their music. What I do know is that they are based in Philadelphia, the city I live near, and that they are a big name and also quite popular in the rock music world. Their most recent album, Lost In The Dream, came out in 2014. Thinking Of A Place, a sweeping, calming and improbably long (11 minutes and 12 seconds) song, is the first new material the band has released since then.

WXPN is pretty obsessed with Thinking Of A Place, and I am too. Despite its length, the station has been playing it once or more on most days. And though I don’t listen to XPN all that much, I seem to catch the tune half the times that I turn on the station. Which can’t be coincidental. Meaning, the music gods high above us have their gazes firmly fixed upon me. Without a doubt they want me to make known the existence of Thinking Of A Place to some good folks who likely haven’t heard it before.

Sit back, close your eyes and let The War On Drugs take you on a splendid ride. Thinking Of A Place is good for whatever might ail you. Here it is. Peace out, brothers and sisters.

Can’t listen to The War on Drugs now, but I will later. I agree totally about a dilution of obsessions, and that our obsessions weaken as we get older and wiser. Driving to work this a.m. I was thinking of just that. It’s much healthier to sample a little of this, a little of that, rather than to monopolize one thing all the time. I feel that way about religion, politics, books, food, geography, music… So many people aren’t wired that way, unfortunately, and it can get them really f***ed up.

Hello Diane. When I think back on how consumed I used to be by music, I’m pretty amazed. But I still pay a decent amount of attention to music. I’ve been to 10 or more concerts in the last few months.
Take care —-

I like that choice of words…”a startling effort to follow music”. I think my similar efforts could be described that way as well currently (though I’m younger! maybe I’ll get less startling as I get older…ha ha). Thanks for linking to the song too – it’s great. Will have to look for the album when it comes out.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone speak so fondly of Neanderthals – I now have new respect for this ancient species. Another great Wednesday read (I like when bloggers stick to a specific day of the week to press publish – it’s always a lovely surprise to see what the topic will be). I’m with you on the sports though and I suspect there are an awful lot of men in the UK who aren’t actually that bothered about football (or soccer as you call it) but they feel pressured into going along with the charade of following it, which in turn means our television schedules become football-laden!

As for the song you shared, another lovely surprise – always nice to make new discoveries.

I enjoyed the mellow, calm vibe of this song.–Thanks! Your Neanderthal photo also made me chuckle.

Your post is food for thought…You say your obsessions have waned over the years. Since I retired (early), I’ve had more time to focus on those things that were/are important to me. Before, life revolved around work and weekends were used to try to catch up with laundry, bills, yard work, grocery shopping, and if I was lucky, a bit of time to hang with friends. I’m glad those days are gone, but my obsessions are still there.–I just have more time now to indulge them!

Hi. Yeah, I understand what you’re saying. In my case, I think I was too heavily invested in sports and music for years, so the time eventually came when my interest in them decreased. But, music is still a big part of my life (but not as big as it used to be).

I’m having a hard time getting by the photo (can’t stop chuckling). CB is about a half generation removed from that era. Man do I hear a lot of influences coming through this band and song. It’s really good Neil. Love when the guitar kicks in, adds a nice bite. Real good stuff. Thanks. ( My trust level in you is pretty high on your choices). Letting go of certain things isn’t as hard as we think. Some things that is. That was a good little read Neil and listen.

I liked learning I’m not alone in abandoning previous obsessions: the Mickey Mouse Club, the Miss American Pageant, the Academy Awards, college basketball, Wolf Man Jack, Stephen King, the Olympics and Willie Nelson to name a few. However, I’m sticking with the St. Louis Cardinals, novels, and pepperoni pizza. I really liked Thinking of a Place. I’m going to get it to dust to. I like to play music that puts me in another zone when I do that onerous task.

Tucked the track away for a listen later, Neil, but you’ve hit the bullseye for me musically here. I got into War on Drugs when their last album came out, and saw them at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall when they came by on their last tour. Great gig, even allowing for the excruciating backache that I developed from standing on a sloping floor! Ah yes, I remember the Neanderthals too…

Hi, Andrew.
The War On Drugs starts their upcoming tour (in September, I think) in their hometown, which is Philadelphia. They will be at an under-used outdoor venue in a huge park. I hope to be at that show.
Take care. Bye for now —

WHAT?!!! You’re not obsessed with football???? I mean, I understand not being ga-ga over baseball (it bores the living daylights outta me!), but you’re not a Eagles fan? Oh dear…… And how can you not be enthralled with our lovely POTUS? He’s such a Neanderthral!

Boy, do i hear u on that opinion! He is one unbalanced person whp is encouring the other unbalanced humans to crawl outta their holes and be mean to people….scary stuff going on these days…makes me sad…😕

Like many, I’ve been consumed with music and sports. And books and movies. And over time these thing have become less important to me. I think for me these things have always filled a hole, and over time, they don’t fill it as well as they used to. I’ve become more interested in the hole itself, and learning why it’s so hard to fill. But I will check out the song on my drive home from work today. Heard about this band but haven’t heard their stuff.

Hi. Many thanks for adding your thoughts.
What you have to say about filling the hole is a strong observation. Maybe it’s something that most people grapple with, though not consciously most of the time.